


Boba and Luke's grand adventure

by MadLulu



Series: Space dads extraordinaire [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Feels, Gen, Piracy, Slavery (mentionned), Teenage mood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 08:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22333972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadLulu/pseuds/MadLulu
Summary: Where Boba thought he was going to spend a nice month alone bounty hunting but Luke had other very different plans.
Relationships: Boba Fett & Luke Skywalker, Jango Fett/Obi-Wan Kenobi (background relationship)
Series: Space dads extraordinaire [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1485881
Comments: 60
Kudos: 335





	1. Never underestimate a Skywalker's potential for trouble

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [La grande aventure de Boba et Luke](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22334605) by [MadLulu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadLulu/pseuds/MadLulu). 

> This fic is actually a translation because i'm a masochistic writer who decided she was gonna write the first draft in french. I'm gonna post the original french version too and probably translate the other parts of the serie. Maybe. Who knows. Anyway I hope you enjoy Boba's misery. Beta credits to Gondolin and Red_Sheep who are awesome beings.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Boba just wanted to go on his first solo mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mando'a translations can be found in the end note. I made up some of it so if you are somewhat better at linguistics and made up fictional language, don't hesitate to correct me.

"Dad?!"

Damn it, where is his kriffing helmet?!

"Dad!"

No, not with the rest of his beskar’gam. Of course. That'd be too easy.

"DAD!" He yells.

"For the last time, no yelling in the house!"

He scowls, getting inside the living room. Obi-Wan is here, a gentle but disapproving smile on his lips, handing him his buy'ce. He swears and comes forward to him to snatch it from his hands.

"Thanks Dad," he mumbles. "Sorry. Couldn't find it."  
"It's okay, Boba. I found it in Luke's room. I'd take it as a sign, were I you."  
"I know he doesn't want me to leave. But Dad! That's my first solo hunt! It's gonna be dangerous. I can't take him with me.”  
"I'm not the one you have to convince, ad’ika."

He smiles and Boba can't help smiling back. He's sixteen now, old enough to begin bounty hunting on his own. His vod’ika doesn't seem to completely get it though. But again, he's three, that's not surprising. He can't really remember how he was at that age but Buir says he wanted to go with him too at the time. Boba sighs softly and tucks his helmet under his arm.

“Do you know where he is?”

Obi-Wan shakes his head negatively but his eyes are full of mischief.

“He wasn’t in his room. Maybe Jango will know more. You still have to tell him goodbye anyway, right?”

He rolls his eyes.

“Dad…” He almost whines. “I’m sixteen, I’m not giving you goodbye kisses when I leave.”

His step-father giggles a bit and takes advantage of his full hands to ruffle his hair. Boba pulls himself out of his embrace with a pout. He’s not annoyed, only… Displays of affection embarrass him.

“Be careful. May the Force be with you.”

He holds back another eye roll at the traditional sentence. It’s not as if it disturbs him. Well, a bit but it’s more about Ben’s past as a Jetii. He almost never speaks about it. Sometimes, he has strange reflexes or he looks at him and his eyes turns sad. It happens often with Luke too. Buir says it’s better to let it pass when he’s like this. War was hard for everyone but Ben still has a long way to go. Boba is always happy if he can distract him with training stories or by throwing Luke at him. His vod’ika with his solar personality always manages to make Ben smile when he loses himself in his memories.

He ends his packing with a last checklist. Armor, first aid, ammunitions, commlink and ration bars. He probably didn’t think of everything but the essentials are here. It should be enough. Someone knocks on the workshop’s door that he left open and he raises his eyes.

“Buir!”  
“You’re not saying goodbye, Boba?” Jango teases him.  
“I was packing,” he retorts. “Did you see Luke?”  
“Not since this morning. He must be hiding somewhere.”

Boba rolls his eyes, sighs quietly. He doesn’t really have the time to play hide and seek. He closes his bag and throws it on his shoulder. Jango smiles and takes his arm in mando farewell.

“Re’turcye mhi, ad. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

He grins wryly and nods. His father looks so proud of him. He wants to prove him right.

“I’ll honor your name, Buir.”  
“I don’t doubt it. Now, go say goodbye to your vod. He can’t be that far.”

The sigh that threatens to escape ends as a deep breath. Jango sends him a little knowing smile before going out, leaving him alone with his pack. Find his brother… Of course… How do you find a three years old sulking child? One who knows every corners and crevice of the huge Fett farm and can count on his natural gifts to stay hidden? Even Ben can have a hard time searching for him when he sulks. Something about the Force, apparently. Boba doesn’t understand much about this.

In the end, no way to put his hands on Luke. He must have hidden in the fields and anyway Boba should already be gone. Too bad for him, he’ll leave a message on the home’s comm once he’ll be in Hyperspace.

* * * *

The small ship Jango helped him acquire last year is comfortable. It’s a Gauntlet fighter modified to the point of near unrecognizable. Not a recent model either but it performs well and is self-sufficient for one person. There’s only the central module of origin and the wings have been totally replaced. So, it’s less maneuverable that the original but Boba has a good hand for piloting and the takeoff from Concord Dawn is a formality. He takes the Hyperspace lights in for a minute once the Me’sen is inbound for Takodana.

There is at least several days of travel and two transitional jumps ahead of him. He may as well get himself comfortable. It begins with unpacking his stuff in the nailed down closets in the little bunk room. The small ship is a light transport with just enough room to stock some crates and eventually a body. The pro is that he has some peace and quiet. He can put his boots on the control panel and watch some holos for the entire trip, Ben is not here to roll his eyes at his lifestyle. Freedom has some good sides.

Once he’s settled and the message for Luke is sent, he can put on an episode of his Corellian holo drama. He wanted to know what was going to happen to the detective. In the last episode, he was stuck in a warehouse with a guard gundark. He’ll probably survive but the how is always interesting. In the end, the character manages to get rid of it by dropping a huge crate full of contraband statues on its head. Smart. It could be useful as a method; he should remember this just in case he finds himself stuck with one.

The sudden noise which comes from behind him, in the storage bay, has him jump on his feet, blaster drawn. He probably pinned a crate down wrong. He corrects the grip on his weapon and go quietly for the bay.

It’s only years of discipline and training that prevent him from shooting at Luke when he drops on him from the top of a crate to tackle him with all the strength of an overexcited child.

“Boba! I got you vod!”

The young Mandalorian let himself land on the floor, spread flat like a starfish, his blaster forgotten. The frustrated growl that comes out of his throat is far from fake.

“Luke. Can I know why you’re here, you- or’dinii?! You should be at- at home! Not in- Oh, Vercopa Kot ti ner. Buir is gonna kill me.”

Luke, a little surprised by his big brother’s reaction, sits up straight, straddling Boba’s pelvis. His face of chastened innocence doesn’t fool anyone anymore at home but Boba is often nicer if he smiles. He knows he can’t go on the ships alone but he didn’t think Boba would leave without saying goodbye.

“You don’t love me anymore?” Luke asks with a faint voice.  
“Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum, vod’ika, ratiin. But you know it’s not safe. You’re still too young to come with me.”

Luke puffs his cheeks and starts to turn red; his eyes begin to brighten. Boba winces before the portents of one of Luke’s famous tantrums.

“It’s not true! You try to leave home! You leave me alone,” he begins to sniff.

A bit shaken, Boba sits up to take the little blond boy on his arms. He hugs him, whispering reassuring words for a few minutes to calm him. With a last big snuffle, Luke raises his eyes to him.

“I’m not leaving for ever, vod’ika,” he tries to reassure him. “It’s only for work. I’ll come back to the farm when I’m done.”

He nods slowly and sniffs again then hangs on his neck for another hug. Boba smiles a bit and rubs his back. He’s in a right mess, here. He’s gonna have to stop the ship and turn around to take Luke back on Concord Dawn. Fortunately, he doesn’t have any planned meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beskar’gam : armor litt. iron skin  
Buy’ce : helmet  
Ad/adi’ka : young one, son  
Jetii : Jedi  
Vod/vod'ika : brother/little brother  
Buir : Father/Dad here but genderless term that can be used for any parent ou guardian  
Re'turcye mhi : goodbye  
Or’dinii : moron, fool  
Vercopa Kot ti ner : May the Force be with me  
Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum , vod’ika, ratiin : I love you, little brother, always.
> 
> That's all for me. Hope you enjoyed this, don't hesitate to tell me your theory on how this little trip is gonna go.


	2. Some days, you really should have stayed in bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where pirates are a all or nothing kind of deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit late but it was TCW's season 7 premiere last week so have a chapter !  
Chapter beta'ed by Gondolin who is awesome.  
Mando'a notes are at the end as usual !

Finally, Luke is sleeping in the bunk. He thought he was never gonna succeed in putting him to bed. Fortunately, his first Hyperspace jump is only a few hours long. Not that much time lost. He tried calling the farm but Jango and Ben must’ve been out in the fields or somewhere, nobody picked up. He had to leave a message, hoping they wouldn’t panic at his stowaway’s disappearance.

He sighs heavily and runs a hand in his hair. Really, some days he wonders what he did to deserve this family. Then, he remembers he’s worse sometimes and that it’s a bit his fault too. He fumbles with his controls for a minute. One hour left before the end of his jump. He can still catch a little sleep. Anyway, if Luke wakes up, he’ll hear him. He’s still synched with the farm’s cycle and it’s been nighttime there for a little while. Just a nap until the end of the jump.

* * * *

The proximity alarm wakes him up with a start as the ship’s jump ends and he almost jumps on the controls to put the Me’sen out of Hyperspace. He’s welcomed by an impressive cruiser, not a star destroyer, of course, but the kind of ship big enough to be manned with a substantial crew. Boba frowns. His end point is not a really common one but some of the ships coming from the Mandalorian sector stop here to take the Hydian Way.

The ship’s comm rings and he winces. Not good.

“Me’sen, Flying Rancor here, prepare yourself to be boarded. If you try to run, we have cannons aimed right at you.”

Boba swears under his breath, handling his shields meanwhile trying to reprogram a new jump to Hyperspace. He doesn’t even note the near-constant basic and mando’a’s swearing he’s letting escape until a small hand pull on his sleeve.

“Boba, Da says it’s bad words.”

Boba winces. Luke. He’s not gonna be able to-

“Me’sen, you have thirty seconds left before we fire.”  
“Har’chaak ! Luke, vod’ika, listen to me very carefully. You have to hide. Go in the storage just like before when you got in my ship. It’s very important. Don’t make any noise and don’t move unless I come get you.”

Luke nods slowly and grips his sleeve tighter.

“And you, what you doing?” Luke worries without letting go.  
“I’m gonna take care of these pirates. Whatever you do, don’t move if it’s not me. I’ll tell the name of Buir’s ship so you can be sure.”

He unwinds gently his little brother’s hand before pushing him to the bay. He exhales slowly and reopens the commlink.

“Don’t shoot, Flying Rancor. I surrender.”

He grits his teeth and lowers his shields. He’s gonna let the board and after… Well he better finds a genius’s idea or this is gonna end badly. Breathe deeply, authorize the kriffing cruiser to lock on his ramp, put on his buy’ce.

The pirates who invade his little ship go back out when they realize how tight it is in. A Twi’lek with tattooed lekku go to inspect his cargo and Boba prays internally that he doesn’t find Luke. A Devaronian handcuffs him and he winces while he’s being dragged to the cruiser’s deck. Flying Rancor. Pff, another captain with an ego bigger than his ship’s. Yeah, seeing the clothes of the pirate who’s waiting for him with his arms crossed – ostentatious – he sees very well where the name comes from.

“Oh ho, what a nice catch we have here. A mando in a full armor. Well, big guy, are you lost? I am Davkar, captain of this ship. I hope you won’t have any problem with us robbing you before letting you go.”

Boba has his helmet almost ripped off his face and glares at him. He doesn’t know his captor’s but his face is not unknown in the galaxy. The crew members have varied reactions from surprise to disgust.

“A clone… Although… You look quite young for a clone. Those still alive are approaching thirty.”

Boba answers by spitting on his boots.

“Ni Boba Fett, ge’hutuun. Remembers this when I put my blasters between your eyes.”  
“Not so soon, big guy. It would be a shame to leave this early.”

The pirate makes an almost sweet smile but the cruel light in his eyes is clear. Boba heard his father speak several times of the slavers who imprisoned him for years. He’s not gonna let them do this, Luke relies on him.

He glares at the captain who seems to hesitate for a moment before ordering they search him. They take his blasters, but not his gauntlets. Too bad for them. He just needs an opportunity to go back to the Me’sen and make a jump back to Concord Dawn.

The pirates lock him up in a cruiser’s cell. There are two other people in the bunks across and facing his. A listless looking Twi’lek woman, slumped against a wall, and a Weequay who stares at him curiously. The pirates let him keep his armor and took the cuffs away before pushing him in the cell closed by a plasma shield. Too bad for them again, it’ll be easier if he doesn’t have to look for his beskar’gam everywhere.

The Weequay facing him tilts his head in a silent question and point his torso out, or maybe his armor, who knows.

“You look like you’re in a tough spot, my friend,” he observes. “I’m sure we can help each other.”  
“I don’t need you Ohnaka. Especially with the kind of help you’re inclined to give.”  
“Oh, but you know Hondo’s name! I don’t think we’ve met before, my friend.”  
“No need. I know what I have to about you. You can’t trust a pirate.”  
“You wound me my friend. And who spoke to you about Hondo in such a rude way? I’m a respectable businessman!”

Boba barely contains his burst of laughter and raises a sardonic eyebrow. Ben told him about Hondo Ohnaka. Buir too. He’s a ruthless pirate without any principle but money. And not someone reliable, that’s for sure. But Buir says he’s still a good friend when you’re not talking about credits. Ben also said he helped him once or twice during the war…

“Not interested,” he still answers. “I’d rather break out myself than to count on someone who will stab me in the back at the first opportunity.”

Hondo rolls his eyes at the young Mandalorian’s mistrust. Here is one who heard bad rumors about his achievements. Yet, Hondo is not the worst! He respects his rivals and allies. Well, among other things. Credits are important too.

“Why such distrust, my friend? We never met; you should take the time to know me before judging.”

Boba lets slip an amused snort.

“I don’t even know your name, my friend. Though your face is a familiar one.”  
“I’m Boba Fett, di’kut.”  
“Oh! You’re Jango’s son! Nice to meet you.”

The pirate bows from his cell with a flourish, taking off his hat. Boba rolls his eyes. He feels a bit naked without his helmet. Nothing to do about it. And the expansive manners of the Weequay don’t really inspire trust in him. He sits on the cell’s bunk and buries his head in his hands. How to get out of here? He can’t leave Luke alone. The pirates will probably find him fast, or worse, sack the ship before letting it to drift in space without fuel.

A metallic jingling makes him raise his head and he catches sight of Hondo stroking the chest of a Kowakian monkey-lizard. A monkey-lizard who hands him a bunch of magnetic keys. Hondo notices him looking and sends him a big smug smirk before swinging the keys on their ring in his direction, taunting him.

“Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

Boba grinds his teeth and glare at him.

“What do you want?”

Blasted pirate. Hondo’s smile widens.

“Oh, not much. You must still have a ship around, correct? A simple drop off to a specific planet would be appreciated.”  
“I don’t have infinite fuel.”  
“No, but you were probably going somewhere, right? If you drop me off to Takodana…” He opens his cell and closes it, raising a brow. “I could maybe let you out. Hondo always needs efficient minions. But after all, I could also just take your ship and leave with it.”

New teeth grinding. Kriffing Pirate.

“If I take you to Takodana and I protect you until then, you let me out and I give you a small part of my cargo.”

It’s not like he takes pleasure in loosing credits but he can do without his stock of medical supplies. Hondo seems to hesitate for a moment before making a big smile, showing his teeth.

“Deal!” He proclaims before opening his cell.

Boba will miss his buy’ce but he’ll always be able to forge a new one. Better not to have a helmet and to stay alive. For now, he feels more naked without his blasters than his helmet. He follows Hondo quietly to the docking bay. They almost get caught by a group passing by the corridors and Boba finds himself flattened by the Weequay against a wall.

The more they progress, the more he hopes to throw the pirate through the airlock at the first opportunity. Reaching the Me’sen is a trial but they manage it. Boba locks the access ramp then powers up the ship to start a new calculation for a jump in Hyperspace. Too slow, too slow, he needs- Yes! There! The ship takes off and the cannons blast through the cruiser’s airlock. He barely takes the time to finish programming the navigator and they are in Hyperspace heading to… He didn’t even look. He really hopes they’re not gonna end in Deep Space or drawn by a star.

A heavy sigh slips past his lips and he slumps on his chair. Safe, but for how long? And with a pirate onboard, not counting his damned animal. Without any cargo either since Davkar’s crew took everything. Har’chaak! Buir is definitely gonna kill him this time. Now he has to fi- A big dull noise startles him. Luke.

He hurries to the cargo bay and sees Ohnaka, sprawled on the floor and his hands raised with a defensive look, Luke sitting on his chest and pointing Boba’s reserve blaster on his head. He stretches a playful smile.

“Luke. Shooting an ally is rude, vod’ika,” he comments as if speaking of the weather.  
“He tried first! Buir always says you don’t wait to be hit to hit back.”

The miffed look of Hondo is hilarious and draws him a feral smile.

“Of course not. I was just checking that the ship was safe,” justify the pirate. “I didn’t want to risk taking a stowaway. I admire your skill my young friend, but maybe you could let me get up?”

Luke turns to his brother in a silently asked question, the blaster steady. Boba nods and he gets up, not without kicking more or less intentionally Hondo’s stomach with his knee, throwing himself in the legs of the young bounty hunter who take him in his arms.

“You’re okay?” He asks, looking worried. “I thought they would…”

Boba shakes his head slowly and lift Luke in his arms for a welcome hug. He was really afraid for his little brother. The child begins to cry of relief against his neck, wetting his under-armor’s collar. Boba winces a bit but strokes Luke’s hair to comfort him. It was an emotion-loaded day.

Hondo gets up and scratches his head, lifting his hat. Boba glares at him, challenging him to say anything. He whispers reassuring words, keeps cuddling Luke until he falls, exhausted, in his arms. He sighs and put him to bed in the bunk. Another ordinary day for the Fetts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Har'chaak : Damnit!  
Vod'ika : Little Brother  
Buir : Dad/Father  
Buy'ce : Helmet  
Ni Boba Fett, ge'hutuun : I'm Boba Fett, villain/bandit (used for a serious criminal you have no respect for)  
Beskar'gam : Armor  
Di'kut : idiot, useless individual (lit. someone who forgets to put their pants on)


	3. Pirates are definitely the worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Hondo has some some very convincing arguments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter beta by Gondolin. Thank you dear without you this would be so much less readable.  
Mando'a in the end as usual.

Boba’s hastily programmed jump should bring them near Corellia. The trainee bounty hunter scowls a bit. It’ll get them closer to Takodana in the end. Maybe the pirate, who settled himself in the storage bay, will agree to being left there? It’s a faint hope but he can still try.

“Absolutely not!” The Weequay retorts. “Do you know how many Correlians would like to have my head?”  
“A lot, I guess?”

Boba is clearly not impressed. It’s not his problem anyway.

“Exactly! These people are merciless. I care about my life. And we’re already heading in the right direction anyway, what will another little jump change?”

Boba shows him his teeth in an annoyed hiss.

“I’m surely not taking the risk of bringing a three years old child in a pirate den. I’m taking my brother back home and then you can go to Maz’s Palace.”

Hondo’s eyes get more serious, colder, and he straightens, a hand set casually down on the blaster at his hip.

“I think a warrior like you is totally able to protect a child. We have a deal, bounty hunter, you’d do well to respect it.”

Boba glares at him, squinting.

“You threaten me Ohnaka? You don’t look like you know who you’re sp-”

He’s cut in his sentence by a blond rocket colliding in his legs. Luke seems overexcited and doesn’t see the quarrel between the two adults.

“Boba, Boba! Da and Buir leave a message! Come on!”

Boba turns pale and let himself be dragged to the comm unit in the cockpit. He can’t let Ohnaka see or hear this. He knows Ben and Jango’s voices. It’s too risky. Buir insisted a lot on discretion about Luke and Ben since they established their family of four. He closes the door after him, almost slamming it in the pirate’s nose.

The message is, in fact, a communication and the holo-projection of Jango has a worried and strict face who lightens up when he gets a glimpse of Boba passing in range of the comm.

“Ad’ika. I was worried. Why aren’t you home with Luke yet? You didn’t call since your last message yesterday.”

Boba winces. He would’ve like to avoid this. If he had been able to bring his brother back fast, he wouldn’t have worried his parents. He sighs and pass a hand through his hair, ruffling his brown curls.

“Buir… There’s a complication,” he winces.  
“A complication?” Ben’s voice sounds out, alarmed. “Boba, what happened? Where are you?”  
“Luke is fine! It’s just- Well, a cruiser was waiting in ambush at the Hydian Way junction from Concord Dawn. I had to let them board me to get the Me’sen back. But everything is fine!” He hurries to add when Jango opens his mouth. “We’re heading to Corellia. I’m gonna try to come home quickly but it could be long.”  
“Corellia…” Jango sighs heavily. “At this point, coming to get you is gonna make you late more than anything.”  
“I know Buir,” he winces. “I’ll try to be as fast as I can and bring Luke home.”

Jango nods before stepping aside so Ben can come out on the hologram. The ex-Jedi looks anxious but not to the point of being dominated by his emotions, something which happens rarely.

“Take care of Luke, Boba. Stay as unseen as possible and if you come across any problem, call us. Please, don’t leave us in the dark like this.”

The adolescent nods and makes a smile as reassuring as possible to Ben. He’s gonna have to find a way of convincing Hondo. Loads of fun ahead. He waves at Ben and Jango and lets Luke tell them goodbye before he cuts the line. He really feels like sighing but he doesn’t want Luke thinking he’s a problem. He’s not one obviously, the circumstances are coming one after another and it’s not the child’s fault.

“Luke?” He draws his attention to him. “Can you keep a secret vod’ika?”

He nods with all the seriousness of a three years old child.

“Before going back home, we’re gonna have to do a small detour.”  
“But you said-”  
“I know,” Boba cuts him. “But right now, I have to find a way to deal with Ohnaka. He must not know where the house is, remember?”

Luke frowns then nods. Jango and Ben have been repeating several times that no one can know some things, including the farm’s exact location.

The idea of killing the Weequay don’t really appeal to him, but if he has to go there, he will. The simpler solution to bring him to Takodana as he asked is not so bad. But extending the journey also increases the risks of a new encounter or a problem. It’s a gamble to make.

“We’re gonna drop the pirate with his creature and then we go home. No other detour and you must stay on the ship.”

Luke nods again, carefully listening his instructions. He doesn’t like the idea of leaving the blond locked up on the Me’sen but he doesn’t have a lot of solution. At least, he seems to understand that the situation is serious and that he should behave well.

When they get out of the cockpit, Ohnaka is feeding his monkey-lizard. He looks at them and makes a big smile to Luke who’s making a face at the creature. He took an instant dislike to the thing since it tried to steal his pillow to sleep inside.

“What news, my friend?” Hondo asks.  
“You’re lucky. I’ll drop you at Takodana. But if you mention my little brother to anyone, I will find you and believe me, you won’t like that.”

Hondo raises his hands in a soothing gesture.

“I would never betray my friends!”  
“That’s not what my sources said. But well, you’re the kind of guy who would sell his own mother for a handful of credits.”  
“You wound me! And Mama would be disappointed in me if I didn’t. Business first, as she says.”

Boba rolls his eyes and goes back to sit at the ship’s controls. Good. Direction Takodana, then. Here goes hoping they won’t have another incident on the journey.

“I suggest we stop on the way,” Hondo announces. “These pirates bastards must have emptied your stock. Even if you have enough fuel to bring us to Maz’s Palace, I doubt we have enough food for three persons.”

Boba sighs heavily and turns to look at him, annoyed not to have thought of this before him.

“So, what do you suggest? I can hardly make a stop on Corellia.”  
“Hmmm, I know someone who would probably be willing to help us against a little service. Next to nothing, a delivery should suffice.”

Boba contains another annoyed groan. Of course. That’d have been too easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buir : Father/Dad  
Ad'ika : Son  
Vod'ika : Little Brother  
(I'm putting these in masculine because that's their gender here but mando'a doesn't have those and they can be any gender)


	4. Never trust a farmer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where things are rarelly as they seem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I didn't have the motivation to translate today, you get a chapter. All my love if you're stuck somewhere in quarantine. I hope this chapter can give you some feels.  
Chapter beta'ed and cheer read by Gondolin who's still awesome. Thank you !  
Mando'a notes are in the end notes as usual.

Kooriva is not the kind of place Boba would have gone voluntarily. It’s situated near the corellian hyperlane they were taking, just a little farther in its sector of space. Not much interesting to see except meadows, fields and cattle. A perfect place to lay low, then.

Ohnaka assured him the person they would deal with is respectable. Respectable, his ass on a kriffing volcano, they are! If only one of the shady acquaintances of this Weequay is anything else than a pirate crossed with a lying cheat, he’ll eat his buy’ce.

Forced proximity with a three years old, as adorable he may be, and the pirate with manners more than annoying and suspicious is grating on his nerves. That Hondo was right about the lack of food doesn’t improve anything. Fortunately, he had planned for supplemental rations in case of trouble but managing the food for three persons on four days is pushing the limit of this stock.

They manage to land, following Ohnaka’s directions. Flight control was only a formality and they are almost in the middle of some fields, between a farm’s cultures and a forest nearby. Who could live here and be disposed to supply them in food, Boba is actually asking himself that question.

He gets up from his seat once the ship is powered down and faces Luke. The boy is bouncing on the co-pilot’s chair and looking outside with interest.

“Luke, you remember what we said?” He prompts kindly.  
“Yes,” he answers, pouting. “I can’t go outside after the ramp.”

Boba grins and ruffles his blond hair softly. His brother grumbles and pushes back his hand, obviously sulking. He chuckles and leaves him at it.

“It’s for your safety, it’s important. We don’t know who Hondo’s friends are, it could be dangerous.”

Still sulking, Luke turns his back to him on the seat, crossing his arms. Boba sighs softly and get out of the cockpit, hoping his brother won’t get in his head to disobey him. He would totally be capable of it.

He joins Ohnaka at the ramp of the Me’sen and opens it. The pirate makes an extravagant bow to signal him to go first and Boba frowns, motionless, before putting a hand on his blaster.

“You go first,” he assures.

Shouldn’t take him for a rookie, either. He went with his father to hunt when he was ten. He still doesn’t have his buy’ce, he’s not gonna play target practice.

“Your lack of trust wounds me, my friend,” Hondo falsely takes offence.  
“I don’t care. I’m not a damn bait. Come on, get out, we don’t have all day.”

He follows the pirate outside, content despite everything to feel a sun on his face. It’s pleasant outside, more agreeable than the Me’sen’s recycled atmosphere. Ohnaka guides them to the farm he glimpsed when he landed.

It’s a modest-looking building with a barn, not so different from their farm on Concord Dawn. Guilt squeezes his stomach for an instant but he locks it away. It’s not the time to think about this. He’s doing with what he has and worrying his parents wouldn’t help anyone anyway.

The outskirts of the farm are not exactly deserted. A couple of workers are packing vegetables in a crate and a tholotian adolescent girl is dragging a burden beast behind her to plow a field.

When he sees her, the Weequay’s face lighten up with a sincere smile and he goes forward to her in a few strides. Boba follows him with a face as neutral as possible. When they get in sight, the young Tholotian turns toward them and her eyes go round with shock.

She looks around her frenetically, searching something – a weapon – before facing him, her fists raised in front of her in a hand-to-hand combat guard.

Boba stops, catching her eyes with his, and raises his hands slowly in as non-threatening a posture as he can manage. There is one who has no good memories of clones. The young girl doesn’t drop her guard and throws an accusing but scared look at Hondo.

“What’s he doing here? How dare you bring a clone at my home?!” She asks, almost hysterically.

Hondo raises his hands, trying to comfort her.

“I won’t hurt you,” Boba confirms. “Hondo said he knew someone who could get us some food discreetly.”

She watches him suspiciously, not relaxing a bit. Urg. It wouldn’t take much for Boba to swear he’s dealing with a…

“Jedi…” He whispers and her expression turns to terror. She tries to throw herself at him in panic bot Hondo holds her back, grasping her around the waist.  
“Katooni! Calm down, youngling. He’s not here for you. Please, calm down.”

The pirate’s voice seems to reach her at last and she stops struggling. Boba averts his eyes and takes a step back. He has no idea how to deal with this situation. He saw Ben having violent rejection reflexes before in the first weeks he was with them until he got used to them. This girl, Katooni, doesn’t know him. All she sees when she looks at him, it’s the face of men who hunted her, killed her friends and those she considered her family. He doesn’t know what to do with this.

She seems to calm down a bit thanks to the comforting words of the Weequay and move forward to him. He holds her stare while she stops in front of him, her fist on her hips.

“What’s your name?”  
“Boba,” he answers. “Boba Fett.”  
“Like the bounty hunter?” She asks, surprised.  
“He was my father, yes,” he replies with a shrug.

Speaking of Jango in past tense always seems weird but the rest of the galaxy thinks him dead and it’s better it stays that way. Hondo raises a surprised eyebrow in his direction but he ignores him royally. If he wants more information about Buir, he’ll have to ask later. It’s not that hard to guess, anyway.

Katooni looks at Hondo, unsure, then Boba, before sighing and finally relaxing a bit. She turns her back to them and walks to the farm. Boba contains a relieved sigh; it could have gone better. He stalks to Hondo and plants his finger in his shoulder.

“The next time you pull that kind of shit on me, I leave you behind to get by on your own.”

The pirate winces and shrugs.

“I didn’t think she would react like this.”

Boba rolls his eyes, annoyed. For a pirate, he cruelly lacks imagination, sometimes. He lets him handle everything and goes back to the Me’sen to check that Luke actually followed his order instead of going for a walk.

He hesitates for a minute to leave his blaster on the ship before deciding against it. Even if it would make him appear less threatening, risk is too big that something could go wrong. Luke isn’t on the ship. Of course. That’d be too simple if he decided to listen for once. He sighs heavily and calls his name from the access ramp a few times. No answer.

He’s starting to really regret this journey. It’s a true disaster. He doesn’t see Luke near the ship. Please, not to the forest. He begins to go back to the farm when he catches sight of his vod’ika trying to tame the burden beast the Jetii left alone in the field. Oh, no, absolutely not. That kind of beast could- Of course.

He facepalms, trying not to scream in frustration. His steps carry him swiftly to the little blond, unaware of the danger, while he extends a hand to the enormous beast to stroke it.

If he screams, he could make it panic and that would be dangerous. Kriff! He’s almost there, Luke is gonna get the correction of his- Ah. No, he didn’t see this coming. The animal lowers his head to let him stroke it before it lies down on his belly, eyes closed in pure bliss when Luke scritches behind his ears.

Boba stares at the scene, bewildered, while his foster brother climbs on the back of the beast. The Mandalorian thinks that their Strill definitely gave him very bad habits in terms of domestic animals. Luke brings the animal towards the farm without even needing to make a move, his placid mount swaying slowly.

In front of the barn’s door, Katooni watches the small blond looking like she was stroked by lightning. Or the Force. Some days, Boba wonders what he did to the universe to deserve this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buy'ce : Helmet  
Buir : Parents/Guardian, here Father  
Vod'ika : Little brother/sister  
Jetii : Jedi
> 
> There are a lot of kudos and bookmarks on this series and I didn't realize it. Thank you a billion times for this, it means a lot to me to know you like this story and I read every comments.


	5. Making new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Hondo is nicer than you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter beta by Gondolin as usual ! Much love to everyone. I'm in confinement so I'm gonna try to finish the translation and post everything hehe.  
Mando'a is in the end notes like always !

Luke doesn’t really understand what he did wrong. Boba looked furious when he climbed on Kali’s back. He asked permission first though. He didn’t have exactly the right to go out the ship but staying inside for days was just so boring. And, Boba was out so it was not really dangerous. Buir always says that if it’s dangerous you don’t go without helmet.

But the nice girl with the headdress looked at him funny. She was very happy but afraid too. Then Boba came and he scolded him. He tried not to cry but there was too much people, too much noise, too much emotions. He couldn’t do like Ben says and close the door so he cried.

He wants to go home, hug Ri and Da. Adventures in space are scary. Even the pirate who’s a bit nice, the one who pretends he’s not, was afraid. Luke prefers the farm even if it’s a bit boring. At least, he had real food every day there and not ration bars.

He sniffles a bit and raises his eyes to Boba. He likes when Boba hugs him. It’s always warm and full of light. The girl with the headdress is looking at them with a weird face and she comes closer slowly. He smiles at her. Maybe she wants a hug, too? So she won’t be afraid anymore.

“Go away,” Boba says coldly without looking at her.

She shakes her head and comes closer. Luke wiggles on Boba’s lap to make him loosen his grip.

“I don’t want to hurt you. I- Your name is Luke?”  
“Yes. And I know you don’t want hurt us. You’re like Da.”  
“Luke…”

Boba’s tone is not reassuring, like if he wants to scold him. Luke pouts and shoves a finger in his brother’s ribs.

“It’s true! Da always says we should help people. She helps, right?”  
“Yes,” Boba sighs. “She’s gonna help us a little.”

The girl smiles softly but it’s not a real smile. It’s a smile where she cries inside, like Da sometimes when he looks at him. Luke scowls and get down from Boba to run toward her and hold her legs in a hug. She makes a weird noise, a bit surprised or like she’s gonna cry. A girl’s hand pets his hair slowly so he does like with Da and makes a hug of light.

* * * *

Katooni presses a hand on her mouth to muffle a surprised hiccup, shocked. Boba frowns. He doesn’t know anything about the Force or the Jedi but he can guess that Luke is not just hugging the adolescent’s legs. He sighs and gets closer.

“Luke,” he calls softly. “You remember what Da said about people we don’t know?”  
“But-” He protests. “She hurts, Boba. Da always says you have to help if you can.”

He gives a wary look at Katooni who seems on the verge of crying, her hand still pressed on her mouth. Near the barn’s door, where they took shelter, Hondo looks at them with a puzzled face. If Boba wanted to keep Luke’s Force from him, it’s a bit late. The pirate raises his hands innocently.

“I won’t tell anyone. I don’t really care for the Empire much, these days.”

Boba nods slowly, thanking him.

“Luke,” Katooni whispers. “Thank you.”

She crouches and gives him back his hug. He can see a tear rolling down her cheek and he looks way, uncomfortable. She finally gets to her feet and turns to Boba, looking determined.

“I’m going to get you the supplies you need. I don’t know what- Take care of him. People like Luke are getting rare in the Galaxy.”

Boba purses his lips but doesn’t answer, just watching her go to the crates nearby. Probably to take some supplies from them. He sighs and gets to his knees so he can put his hands on Luke’s shoulders and speak to him.

“Sorry Boba,” Luke apologizes. “I know you don’t like when I hug other people.”  
“You can hug people, Luke. But doing special hugs is dangerous if it’s someone who’s not aliit. You don’t know who these people are.”  
“But she’s like Da! It’s okay if she’s like Da.”

Boba winces. He’s gonna have to speak seriously about this with Ben. If Luke starts to do hug of light, as he calls it, to every Force-sensitive person they come across… Clearly, it could be dangerous. Even if Katooni is not the kind of people who would betray them, nothing says she’ll never get caught by the Empire and these people have means to make you talk.

“Promise me you won’t do…” He checks that Hondo is out of earing range. “Promise me you won’t use the Force until we’re home.”

Luke pouts, disappointed, but finally nods. He contains a relieved sigh and ruffle his hair to thank him. Thank the gods, they won’t be staying long here. Just the time to gather supplies and they’ll be gone.

He watches Katooni from a distance, she seems to be speaking with Ohnaka, the conversation is animated but the smile on her lips reassures him. At least, she’s no longer like she’s about to cry. Except for Luke, he doesn’t know how to deal with crying people. Standing on tip-toes, Luke whispers in his ear.

“She’s like me and Da? She’s bright like a star.”

Boba smile softly and nods. Ben once explained to him that, for Luke, the Force looks like a bright fabric. Seemingly, the Force is strong in him and it’s very easy to feel nearby people’s emotions because of it. Boba learned to be careful with this kind of thing and to control his emotions when he’s with Luke. Ben says he’ll learn to build shields, growing up, that’ll allow him to protect himself from this but he’s too young to do this automatically yet. Not that Boba understand anything about shields but Buir had nodded so it must be true.

Finally, they all get back on the Me’sen with three crates of supplies for the rest of their journey. Katooni stops Hondo before he gets on the ramp and draws him to her in an embrace.

“Come back to see me, you old pirate. Alone, this time,” she advises with a pointed look to the inside of the ship.  
“I’ll do my best to honor your request,” Hondo replies with a flourishing bow.

Katooni laughs softly and makes a little wave at Boba and Luke who are stacking the crates up the ramp.

“You can come back to see me too! Just, warn me first.”

Boba rolls his eyes and waves at her with two fingers in a mock salute while Luke makes a big gesture with an arm. Katooni grins sweetly and get back to the fields so they have room to take off. While they are finally getting away from the farm and the planet to head to Takodana, Boba realizes he likes the young Tholotian’s laugh. Maybe he’ll come back one day, after all. Having a Jetii friend can be useful, you never know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aliit : Family, clan  
Buir : Parent, here Father


	6. Pirates are not always the worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Takodana is a nice planet to visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I received so much love on the last chapter on tumblr. Thank you so much to everyone you get one more early because I finished the translation. Lots of love to all of you who leaves comments and kudos and read this fic. This UA has taken over my life and I regret nothing!  
Beta by Gondolin !  
As usual, mando notes in the end.

The journey to Takodana is only one jump long this time, luckily. Time is getting long and Luke less and less tolerable. He’s bored and Boba can hardly blame him. Playing Dejarik is quickly becoming tedious and even Hondo finally yielded and taught Luke the basics of Sabacc to distract him.

Boba doesn’t really approve of the idea; he’s almost sure Ben wouldn’t agree. On the plus side, it allows them to bet chores or forfeits with Luke. Not very fair play but you need something to bet with.

When they finally arrive, Luke is bouncing off the walls. He’s competing with the pirate’s monkey-lizard for pent-up energy and it’s not a compliment. Boba parks the Me’sen near Maz’s palace, to a quiet place beside the lake under the trees where no one will disturb them. He almost sighs in relief when he cuts the engines.

“I guess this is where I leave you, my young friends,” Hondo says, taking his leave. “It was a pleasure to do this journey in your company.”  
“Looking forward to not see you,” Boba retorts. “And I beg you, take your creature and your manners far from me.”

The Weequay sketches an amused but fond smile before ruffling Luke’s hair. Boba really hopes he won’t speak of them to anyone, but if he does, he still has the Jedi’s location as a way of exerting pressure.

“Re’turcye mhi Hondo. I’m sure we’ll see you again,” Luke states.  
“I don’t doubt it, little Jedi. Watch your vod for me. So I don’t have to free him from another pirate cruiser.”

Luke nods vigorously and Boba contains a groan. It’s sure this time, he just jinxed them. Hondo burst out, laughing and finally gets out of the ship with his stuff and his infernal beast.

Luke turns to Boba with a blinding smile and he sighs. He know perfectly well what he’s going to ask. And he hardly sees himself saying no anyway. Luke is looking at him with the face of a lothcat lost under the rain and he rolls his eyes.

“Okay. We’re getting out and passing the night here. But!” He adds when Luke is already winding up. “You don’t go far from me. And we are not going to Maz’s palace.”

Luke pouts, sulking, before remembering, when he gets out the Me’sen, that he still has an entire planet to explore. One with lots of plants, trees and a lake and- Yes, well, it’s true that in terms of lush vegetation Concord Dawn is far behind. Is the idea to lose a child in the jungle instead of on a pirate ship better? Not really. But at least Luke seems like he wants to stay near him. He’s gonna take this as a good sign.

They spend the end of Takodana’s cycle walking under the trees. Boba likes the nature here; Luke tries to hide with all of the subtlety of a three years old and they make ricochets on the lake. When the sun hides behind the old temple turned pirate lair, Boba lifts Luke who passed out from exhaustion to put him in the bed of the Me’sen’s bunk.

He goes to sit on the ramp and looks at the lights of the day’s end that reflects on the lake. He hadn’t come there for a long time. Jango rarely took contracts form Maz and when they were not on Kamino, they were travelling.

Boba is not surprised to see the bushes nearby move and the little silhouette of Maz appearing in the orange shadows of Takodana. He lets her come to him and sit on the ramp.

“You come at my home and you don’t even greet the old Maz, Boba Fett? What did you father teach you?”  
“I’m not here for this, Maz Kanata,” Boba laughs softly. “I’m only passing by.”  
“With this little Light hiding in your ship?” She asks with a grin. “You’re not the one who christened this one. You would’ve chosen something flashier.”

Boba grumbles. Luke is the one who named his ship when Jango managed to acquire the small modified Gauntlet for him. With the overflowing imagination of a two years old child, he had screamed “Me’sen!” the mando’a word for ship. Jango had then announced that it was an appropriate name and had promptly written it on the hull of the fighter; which is more a shuttle in terms of size.

“Hondo told you about Luke?” He sighs, resigned.  
“No. I may not be a Jedi, but I have my sources. And the young one in your cabin is very powerful. Take care of him, children like him are rare.”

He nods. He met Maz once or twice before but he never really watched out for the atmosphere she exudes, both wise and eccentric. It’s probably intentional but he doesn’t really feel upset when thinking one more person knows about Luke’s existence. He doubts Jango would be alarmed about it anyway. Maz is not the kind who sells secrets which don’t belong to her. She gets to her feet and throws him an amused grin.

“Good night Fett. May the Force be with you. And say hello to your father.”

Boba rolls his eyes.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about Pirate Queen. Good night.”

She waves lightly before disappearing in the bushes. Boba smiles and watches the system’s star going under the horizon. Tomorrow they can go back to Concord Dawn. With some luck, the journey will be shorter and less complicated.

He goes back to the cockpit and closes the access ramp, locking up the ship. Luke is asleep on the bunk, huddled under the blanket and holding an old t-shirt Boba found in the depths of a pack and that he uses as a plushie. He smiles and goes snuggling against his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me’sen : Ship because yes Jango secretly loves dad joke  
Re’turcye mhi : Goodbye lit "maybe we'll meet again"  
Vod : Brother/Sister


	7. Calling home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where radio silence is not the best way to avoid worrying your parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love on you all following this fic. Chapter beta by Gondolin. She's awesome !  
Translation from Mando'a are in the end notes.

Waking up is more complicated than expected. Luke drags his feet, whining and saying he doesn’t want to go home and Boba tries not to lose his temper.

Finally, he manages to soften him up with a meiloorun Katooni left them for breakfast. After this, his mood lightens up and he accepts to sit in the copilot chair until Boba programs their first Hyperspace jump to Corellia.

They have almost four days of travel to look forward to until that first destination and Boba nearly regrets Hondo’s absence from the second one. At least, when the pirate was here, Luke was focusing on him when he was bored.

Now, he’s fed up with sabacc after three games. A bit desperate, Boba finds a few flimsy sheets and a stylus so he can draw. Crisis averted for now, until the artificial night cycle.

Luke sleeps like a rock and he passes the night sleeping and watching the navigation array in shifts. The moving lights of the stars streaking past the window fill his dreams with abstract images. The next day, Luke wakes him up with a concerned pout.

“Vod, can we call home?”

Boba scowls before nodding. They are quite late considering the time slot he gave Ben and Jango. They’ll feel better knowing they didn’t end up in a black hole or boarded by pirates, again. He decrees a meal before putting on the farm’s code in the holocomm unit.

Ben picks up, sleepy eyes unfocused while the holoprojection is stabilizing. He has the messed up hair of someone who was woken up by the call but his face lightens up with relief when he sees them.

“Boba! We were starting to wonder what you were doing.”

He rolls his eyes a bit but doesn’t raise on it. On his lap, Luke is half-jumping, happy to see his stepfather.

“Da! Boba took me to a planet! It was green with a looooots plants everywhere. There was even a real lake.”  
“Oh, did he? Well, you will have to tell me everything about this, when you’re home.”

The look he gives Boba makes him swallow nervously. Sometimes, he forgets that Ben was a Jedi Master who raised an adolescent to Knighthood.

“We’re inbound to Corellia. We should get there in less than two days. If all goes well, we’ll be at home in six days.”

Ben frowns, turns to something outside the range of the comm. Jango appears on the holoprojection.

“The last time you called, you were already heading to Corellia. You don’t know how to use a Hyperdrive anymore?”

Boba winces at the strict tone of his Buir.

“Buir, there were complications.”

Ben’s raised eyebrow is a nudge to carry on.

“Well, it’s- You see, the other day when I got out of Hyperspace the first time, there was a pirate ship near the Hydian Way. I had to let them board me and Luke hid in the Me’sen.”  
“Boba…” Ben sighs.  
“Davkar left me no choice, Da! He would have blasted me, he had canons and not small ones. I had to cooperate with Hondo Ohnaka to get out of there.”

The muffled snigger coming from Jango attracts him an annoyed look from Ben. They apparently don’t have the same opinion of the pirate.

“I couldn’t bring Ohnaka back with me at the Farm and when I managed to jump back in Hyperspace, the nav system sent us to Corellia.”  
“And leave him there was out of question, of course,” Ben takes over, looking exasperated. “Where did you have to take him?”  
“Takodana. We left two days ago. Buir, Davkar stole my buy’ce and I have only one blaster left.”

Jango frowns and put his chin in his hand, obviously thinking and upset.

“Stole your buy’ce, uh… We’ll talk about this when you’re back.”

Boba nods, uneasy at the prying look of his father. He really is in trouble to the neck. He’s gonna get the grounding of his life. Or maybe not? Ben looks more relieved than anything.

“It’s just a helmet, it’s more important that you’re both fine.”  
“We’ll take care of this Davkar together, Boba. It’s too important to leave Beskar’gam to a chakaar like him.”

He nods. Leaving his helmet on the cruiser really costed him but he had to choose between this and leaving without being spotted. Luke is more important.

“Start by coming home before you plan a skira in family,” Ben steps in. “Luke, are you alright?”  
“Yes! Hondo got us to see a girl like me! She makes plants grow like with the Force, she showed me.”  
“A gi- Luke, you know you can’t speak of this!”  
“But Da… She was sad and Boba said she was nice.”  
“Boba…” Ben sighs again.  
“She’s a former Padawan, Ben. A Tholotian, I think Hondo must have taken her in after the Purge and settled her there. He looked like he cared about her…”

Ben doesn’t say anything, his face stuck in a pale wince like every time the Jedi Order is mentioned. Jango gets closer to him and puts a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. He won’t ask any detail. It’s too dangerous to know and he won’t take that risk. Boba doesn’t like seeing this kind of thing, it reminds him too much of the wraith Ben was in the beginning. He’s better now but, sometimes when wakes up early, he sees Ben already awake in the kitchen, clutching a mug of tea like a cable in the storm. He doesn’t really know how to deal with this emotionally.

He always had Buir to take care of him, he can’t picture what it does to lose your whole life like this. Well he can, a bit. He can when he remembers Geonosis. He prefers not to think about it most of the time.

“Bring him back quickly,” Ben asks in a small voice. ”Ge’detye Boba.”

He nods, serious. The anguish on Ben’s face won’t make the Me’sen go faster but he does what he can. Luke says goodbye with a smile and they hang up the call. He sighs. One day left before Corellia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buir : Father/Mother  
Buy'ce : Helmet  
Beskar'gam : Armor lit. iron skin  
Chakaar : corpse robber, thief, petty criminal  
Skira : settling scores, revenge, more personal than vengeance  
Ge'detye : Please


	8. The Hyperdrive, such a plague

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where there is a curse on Skywalker's transporting ships, it's not possible otherwise...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the home stretch people! One more chapter and this story is finished.  
As usual this one was betaed by Gondolin, kudo to her! The mando'a is in the end. Some of it is more or less made up from mandoa.org so if you see any mistake feel free to point them out.

The next jump from Corellia happens fast, no problem. Luke is complaining about not being able to land and breathe real, not recycled, ship air but he’ll have to endure, there’s four days left before Concord Dawn.

Boba doesn’t sleep well, Luke spends the artificial night cycle tossing and turning in his bed, whining softly. A nightmare, probably. He doesn’t wake up but, in the end, Boba doesn’t really sleep, too preoccupied.

Some times before the end of the cycle, Luke comes find him in the cockpit where he took place to avoid disturbing his sleep. He pulls on his sleeve, looks up at him with a plaintive air.

“Boba. Ni chaaba,” he sniffs before climbing on his lap to cuddle against his chest.  
“Me'bana Vod'ika? Gar ru vaabir dushyc vercopa?”  
“Ni chaaba. Ibic dush. Ciryc.”

Boba frowns, puts a hand on his brow to check his temperature. No fever. It’s probably just a bad dream but… Luke is powerful in the Force according to Ben. It could be something else. He hugs the small blond gently, rocks him a bit.

“Tion’jor gar chaaba?”  
“Cinla jage,” he whispers. “Val olaro.”

Boba frowns. Luke could be talking about stormtroopers or-

The ship vibrates, the Hyperdrive begins to emit a hissing of ill omen. Sensing danger, Luke jumps on his feet and they hurry to the back of the ship when, with a shrill and burning smell, they pull out of Hyperspace.

Boba swears in front of Luke who peers at him with a devastated look at so many bad words. He’s probably gonna have to give half his savings to the swear jar but the relief it brings him is worth it.

A thick, black smoke is escaping from the Hyperdrive compartment and he sighs heavily.

“Stay in the cockpit,” he orders before going to get what’s left of his fixing tools.

After a lot more swears, a near burn and two cuts he manages to get the Hyperdrive’s motivator out its place. Completely burnt and beyond repair.

“We can’t fix it like Buir’s harvester?” Luke asks with a small voice.

Boba shakes his head, depressed.

“Not in this state. Fortunately, it’s an easy model to replace.”

Jango was careful to choose a ship model common enough to not have a change piece problem in a case like this.

Boba wipes his hands, stained with soot and more or less mechanic fluids, before setting himself in front of the nav station. He’s gonna have to find a station or planet close enough where they could find a new motivator. He doesn’t have that many credits but he should find what he’s looking for. The navigator points him to the nearest planet, Champala, a relatively populated world from the Inner Rim. Native world of the Chagrian, under imperial domination and seemingly an aquatic planet or close enough to it.

“We’re gonna have to make another detour, Luke,” he sighs.

He prays that Luke’s bad dreams are only that, dreams, and not weird Jedi premonition. He really doesn’t want to be chased by stormtroopers across an unknown or hostile planet. In precaution, he sends a message to the farm to inform them of the situation so they don’t worry if they are later than planned. Knowing Ben, if they don’t make contact in the next 26 hours, he’ll come get them anyway.

“If we land, you have to obey me. Out of question to go alone or to get out of the ship.”

Luke pouts, he doesn’t seem very eager to accept. Boba rolls his eyes.

“I’m not asking. We’re not going in the isolated farm of an ally, if you get noticed by imperials you could get captured or killed. It’s very dangerous, do you understand?”  
“I understand,” he answers, sulking.

Which means he’s gonna have to either lock him in the Me’sen or watch him very closely for all the time they’ll be on land. Great, he dreamed of it. Fortunately, the little ship has enough fuel to bring them to Champala without any more issue. Atmospheric controls aren’t nosey and he has enough experience in dealing with ground control not to make them suspicious of him and his ship.

Luke spends the re-entry stuck to the window; eyes wide open to the big stretch of water at the surface of the planet. Boba never went to Champala before and he has to admit the ocean are impressive even if it’s nothing in comparison to Kamino.

He lands in a small town on the coast who looks like a hub big enough for strangers. A port officer greets him when he gets out of the access ramp and tries to make him fill forms until he makes him understand he doesn’t have the intention to stay or pay any supplemental tax. He hopes it won’t get him a patrol on his back.

Luke is unsufferable after almost an entire week on the ship and the idea of passing three more days with him in this state has him caving. He disguises him roughly with a hooded coat and slips on a light poncho on top of his Beskar’gam. It’s not very discreet but it’ll do. A Mando without his buy’ce will draw more attention than a bounty hunter in disguise.

He keeps Luke’s hand firmly in his own and gets to a mecano who seems to be taking a break with a drink at the end of a docking port. The Dug glances at him, suspicious, but lets them come nearer, perhaps reassured by the presence of a child.

“What do you want?” He asks shortly, without warning.  
“I’m looking for a motivator for my ship, a modified Gauntlet fighter. Any idea of where I can find that? Is there any part’s seller near the port?”

The Dug scratches his head, scans him for a moment more, then shrugs scornfully.

“Try Uyk Bei, a Gran, on the left when you exit the port. She often has rejects and parts. If not, she can probably acquire it.”

Boba thanks him with a nod before dragging Luke behind him. The child is dragging his feet, trying to see as many things as possible, from the astrodroids to the mechanics and the various ships on platforms. Boba smirks, Luke always had a very pronounced passion for ships and mechanic. The small wooden ship-toys that Ben makes him are his favorites.

The small astro-port is joined to the city, almost cannibalized by it with clean fronts and identical buildings. Boba doesn’t feel comfortable here. The Empire has been running for three years but they didn’t waste their time with the planets close from the Core. The main streets are principally populated with humans or Chagrians but he sees very few other races. Stormtroopers are patrolling and Luke comes hiding behind him as soon as he sees one.

On Concord Dawn there are imperials, of course, but they rarely go anywhere near the farm and Luke doesn’t go out of it often enough to have seen them in details. He puts a light hand on his hood to comfort him and the small blond smiles at him weakly. The Gran they are searching for is an old mechano with damaged hands. She scrutinizes them for a while before checking for the part he’s asking for on a datapad.

To occupy himself, he looks around him and studies the inside and the front of the little shop. The shelves and workbenches are half-crumbling under droid and ship’s parts in diverse states. Three small droids are going around, chatting and bickering in binary while shifting piles of equipment.

“I don’t have what you want here,” the Gran draws his attention back to her. “I can have it in a week if you’re still interested.”

Boba makes a face. A week on an unknown planet under imperial domination. Not his best plan, honestly. He sighs. He doesn’t even have enough imperial credits on him.

“And for tomorrow?”  
“It’s gonna cost you one hell of an extra,” she answers with a smile who uncovers her teeth.

He bites back a curse. Luke pulls on his sleeve to get his attention and he kneels to gets to his height. The child puts his hand in front of his mouth to whisper in his ear.

“She’s lying.”

He quirks an interrogative eyebrow and Luke shrugs. Here is what was missing to the situation, an old cheapskate who’s trying to scam him and extort all his credits. And don’t think of threatening her. He wouldn’t find the Hyperdrive fast enough in her pile of junk before the troopers get here. Either he pays for the extra, or he goes to see elsewhere.

“I need that Hyperdrive, ma’am. Mine is fried and I’m stuck here even though I have to bring the kid back at his place. Please, make a gesture? I just have enough to pay for the motivator.”

He’s not really good at reading Gran’s expressions but she doesn’t seem touched by his story. She signals him to leave it and he responds with a sneer. This one won’t bring it in hell. Too bad, he’ll find someone else who can supply him with a motivator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ni chaaba : I'm afraid  
Me'bana Vod'ika? Gar ru vaabir dushyc vercopa? : What happened, little brother? You had a bad dream?  
Ni chaaba. Ibic dush. Ciryc. : I'm afraid. It's bad. Cold.  
Tion'jor gar chaaba? : Why are you afraid?  
Cinla jage. Val olaro. : The white men. They come.  
Buir : Father/Mother  
Beskar'gam : Armor lit. Iron skin  
Buy'ce : Helmet


	9. Ashla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where, really, Champala is lame, and girls are annoying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! I can't believe I managed to write an entire fic on Boba getting tricked into babysitting Luke. I'm so excited to write the next. I have plans. I also have a small scene that didn't fit in the fic so if some people are interested tell me and I'll put it here as a bonus.  
Beta by Gondolin. Thank you, you amazing being, I wouldn't have done this without you or at least not without a lot more errors and typos.  
Also some more mando'a than usual in the end notes.

Luke doesn’t like Champala. The planet is pretty and nice but it’s cold, fake. It reminds him of his nightmare. Boba is making faces, dragging him from part’s shop to part’s shop. Every time they talk to a new shopkeeper, his face becomes worse. He’s happy when they stop to eat a little. Another ration bar but he’s not gonna be difficult, he’s hungry. There are a lot of things to see, anyway. He tries to not think of the men in white. He saw them in his dream but maybe it was not the same. With their armors and their helmets, they all look the same.

He nibbles on his bar with a pout. Da likes to joke and say before it was worse but it’s hard to believe. Even vegetables are better than this. He sways a bit on himself, looking at the passers-by. There are less races on this planet than on the market at home. It’s weird. He finishes his meal with a grimace before pulling on Boba’s sleeve to get his attention in mando’a to stay discreet.

“Say, you think the lady of before, she can give you the motivator if you do something?”  
“Something?” Boba repeats, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of something are you thinking about, Vod’ika?”

Boba smiles and he looks like he’s thinking before he nods slowly.

“You know, it’s not a bad idea… We’re gonna go negotiate.”

* * * *

In the end, the Gran agrees reticently to exchange the sum they don’t have for the Hyperdrive against a delivery in another town. Boba is not happy to be delayed again but he has a ship in working order even if it can’t go to Hyperspace. He takes the crate of equipment to bring to the capital with a signed contract that guarantees the part will be here when he comes back if he proves he did the delivery.

It’s quite simple, direct. He doesn’t have anything complicated to do except get the delivery address right and avoid imperial attention. Easier said than done but if Luke stays in the Me’sen as asked it should be fine.

The issue in this situation is that nothing seems to ever happen as planned. If Ben hadn’t already explained several times that it’s not how the Force works, he’d think the small blondie is jinxing them on purpose so they can take the longer time possible to get home… When you think about it like that, he’d probably be capable of it anyway.

Fortunately, luck is on his side this time. Luke stays on the ship and he manages to deliver the crates without any further problem. No one seems to notice him either and he gets back to the Me’sen, relieved that this delivery is over. Well, it the base intention. When he gets close to his ship and goes to trigger the ramp opening, his instincts tingle, in alert, and he turns, drawing his blaster.

Face to face with a weapon connected to the arm of a hooded silhouette, he freezes. No visibility on the person holding the blaster. The silhouette is thin, humanoid, probably female. He grips his weapon tighter before they raise their hand in an innocent gesture.

“Sorry, I took you for someone else.”

Feminine voice, with a flat accent and a bit high. Boba keeps his weapon aimed to her head without wavering. Bounty hunter? Imperial? Unlikely seeing the non-human profile of the hood but it’s possible.

“Step back,” he hisses in his teeth. “Or I blow your head up and you’ll give your apology from the other world.”

She makes a step back, puts her blaster in a holster on her thigh.

“I don’t mean to hurt you. I’ve been sent to help.”  
“I don’t need help,” he retorts. “And sent by who? What for?”  
“You’re Boba,” she affirms. “A friend of your parents contacted me. They’re worried sick about you and I was in the sector. I just want to help.”

Boba grinds his teeth, hesitant. He needs a confirmation, a proof, something…

“Ni olar cabuor Nau’ul, Ben sirbu Ri ures gar.”

He sighs slowly, relaxes a bit and nods. Her mando’a is rudimentary but the meaning is clear enough. No one knows the name of their pet Strill. She’d have to come to the farm for this and this kind of thing just don’t happen.

“What do you want? I don’t need help.”  
“No, not at all,” she answers with a chuckle in her voice. “Except you’re stuck on a planet under imperial domination to almost a week of travel from your home.”

Boba pinches his lips.

“I’m fine on my own. If you’re so worried, you can say to Ben we’ll soon be on our way back home, as soon as I’ve got a Hyperdrive, which will happen faster if you leave us alone.”

He can almost physically feel the eye roll of the person he’s speaking to when she puts her fist on her hips.

“Very well. In that case, I help you and I come with you on your ship. I can handle myself with mechanics pretty well.”

He hesitates for a moment before sighing heavily.

“You don’t go on my ship before I have seen your face.”

She seems to hesitate an instant, looks around them, before raising her hands to push her hood back. A Togruta, white markings and orange skin with montrals and lekku stripped in blue. Her face is vaguely familiar but he doesn’t remember from where. She looks his age or a little older. She smiles a bit.

“I’m Ashla,” she greets him.  
“Boba,” he answers.  
“I know. After you,” she says, bowing in the direction of the ship.

Boba rolls his eyes but open the access ramp of the Me’sen before going in, the young woman on his heels.

* * * *

He doesn’t like Ashla very much. The Togruta is making him wary. Nothing is okay with this girl. She appeared from nowhere without any explanation about how she found them. It’s suspicious. Very suspicious, even. And Luke seems to like her. He’s not jealous! It’s just not normal.

He couldn’t dissuade her to leave them alone so in the end he was stuck with her to go to the shop. Alright, at least she didn’t try to intervene in his acquiring of the Hyperdrive. Well, mostly. He suspects her to have said something to the old mechanic when he wasn’t looking because she was way more accommodating than last time.

He gets back to the ship, dragging an over-sled behind him. Ashla is throwing him looks, amused and concerned at the same time and it’s annoying. He wants to tell her to kriff off. He should have insisted to be left in peace.

“You know,” she says gently. “I’m not here to watch you. I just want to make sure you can get back home without more problems.”

Boba grinds his teeth and lets a groan escape his lips. And now she’s lecturing him. As if it’s his fault his Hyperdrive broke down in the middle of the journey.

“Boba…” She sighs.  
“I didn’t need you to finish going home. You can keep your lessons of pseudo je-”

He doesn’t have the time to end his phrase, she presses her hand on his mouth, glaring daggers at him.

“Don’t say that word here,” she hisses in her teeth. “Are you trying to get us killed?!”

He gives her a dirty look and catch her wrist abruptly to move her hand away.

“Stay out of my business. And don’t come near my brother.”

She throws him an irritated look but also… Hurt? What, did she think he liked her? So conceited. He won’t let anyone take Luke. He grinds his teeth and goes back to pushing the sled with a brusque move. He sees very well the kind of person she is. And she’s not a friend of Buir. He would have met her before. She’s obviously a friend of Ben. A former Jedi. No way in hell she tries to train him.

“What’s your damn issue, for stars’ sake?” She hisses, looking irritated. “I come here to help you, I don’t ask for anything in return and you treat like- like some-”

Boba rolls his eyes without stopping pushing his Hyperdrive. Jedi…

“The galaxy doesn’t turn around you.”

She sighs heavily and glares at him from her hood. At least, she’s quiet on the rest of the walk to the Me’en. No one is around the ship and it reassures him a bit. He pushes the sled inside and closes the ramp behind them. Luke is sitting on a crate in the stocking bay, swaying his small legs.

“Me’vaar ti gar, Vod?” He asks, relieved to see him there.  
“Naas! Tion Ashla ne’shaadla ti cuun?”

The blond child jumps on his feet to tumble in his arms and hug him. He glances at the Togruta across his shoulder. Boba sighs and lean into the hug before putting him down. The young woman let her hood fall back and looks at them, seeming taken aback but her face carefully neutral.

“’Lek. Akay yaim.”

She relaxes a bit while Luke makes her a big smile, happy to have company on the end of the journey. They’ll be a little packed in but well… Ben would probably be disappointed if he came back without her. He doesn’t really have that much occasions to speak with people from his old life. Well… He hopes he’ll enjoy this.

The end of the trip is quiet, fortunately. Luke looks like is fed up with adventures in space but above all with the bunk room and the cockpit of the Me’sen. Ashla distracts him a bit with Force tricks and Boba can focus on fixing the Hyperdrive.

Sometimes he’s happy to be knowledgeable enough about mechanics to be able to make his ship fly. Luke is terrifying with machines generally but he doesn’t really want to let him take care of this. Even if he can already dismantle and put back together the auto-planter of the farm, he’s not ready yet to let him fiddle with his engines. He’s only three, it’s a bit early for that.

He can relax only when they’re out of Champala’s flight space and the Hyperdrive activated, purring with a familiar noise. Ashla speaks with Luke in the bunk with a low voice. It looks like she’s telling him a story. He filters the sound of the conversation and focus on programming the Hyperspace jump.

When he goes back to the bunk room, Luke is asleep on his part of the bed, Ashla has her back to the door, humming softly. She’s bent a bit toward Luke and when he shifts to better see her face, he’s struck by her sad expression. She lifts her head and her eyes hit him. He quirks an eyebrow in a quiet question and she shakes her head slowly before getting up and arranging the blanket around Luke.

Boba goes back to the cockpit and sprawls in his chair. There are too many feelings floating around Ashla. He hears her when she comes in and sits in the co-pilot’s chair. He doesn’t want to talk to her, doesn’t want to listen to her justify herself. He already sees Da’s sad looks to Luke sometimes. It’s enough.

For a long minute he’s afraid she’ll begin to speak but, in the end, she doesn’t say anything. He glances at her and she smiles, sitting in a ball on the seat. His eyes go back to the Hyperspace lights and he leans on his chair.

The rest of the trip goes very fast. Faster than the rest of the previous jumps. When the proximity alarm rings and he gets out of Hyperspace, he sighs in relief at the sight of Concord Dawn and its characteristic colors.

“Yaim! Boba! Mhi yaim!” Luke squeaks, jumping on the co-pilot chair in excitement.

Boba nods with a smile and maneuvers the Me’sen to the landing field near the farm. Ashla is nervous behind him. It’s not very obvious but he can tell from the way she squeezes her hands one in the other to the point where her knuckles are white.

When the ramp opens, Luke runs to the exit but Boba catches him with a laugh as he almost trips on his own feet. He gets him back up and he hurtles down the ramp to throw himself in Ben’s arms, laughing.

“Da! Ni solus ures gar.”  
“Me too, Luke,” Ben answers, taking him in his arms.

Boba smile softly and gives a little elbow push to Ashla before nodding towards Ben. The young woman pouts then goes down the ramp slowly, hesitantly. Ben lifts his head to her and his eyes go round with shock. Luke untangles himself a bit and turns to look at her.

“Oh, it’s Ashla! She helped us get home.”  
“Ashla…” Ben chuckles gently. “It’s a beautiful name. I guess I have to thank Bail for this?”  
“He didn’t tell me anything,” the Togruta breathes. “I didn’t think-”

Ben laughs softly and gets up then he opens his arms and gets a handful of crying, or laughing, Boba doesn’t really know, young girl against his shoulder. She whispers low against his shirt and he can’t make out what she says but the sad expression on Ben’s face tells him everything he want to know.

He sighs quietly and push Luke to Buir who’s nearby, just behind Ben. The child throws himself in his legs and gets lifted up in his arms with a delighted laugh. Jango takes him to the house so Ben can stay with Ashla and Boba follows them.

“So? That first hunt?”

The glare Boba gives him has him burst of laughter and Luke hides in his neck to escape the murdering eyes of his big brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vod'ika : Little brother/sister  
Ni olar cabuor Nau’ul, Ben sirbu Ri ures gar. : I am here to protect the Light, Ben say Ri is without you.  
Me'vaar ti gar, Vod? : What's up, brother?  
Naas! Tion Ashla ne’shaadla ti cuun? : Nothing ! Does Ashla stay (lit. not move) with us?  
‘Lek. Akay yaim. : Yeah. Until home.  
Yaim ! Boba ! Mhi yaim ! : Home! Boba! We are home!  
Ni solus ures gar : I missed you lit. I'm alone without you

**Author's Note:**

> I can be found @madluluwriting on tumblr where I post things sometimes. Leave a kudo or a comment if you enjoyed !


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